It is my pleasure to host author, established mental health counselor and anger management specialist Patrice Shavone Brown on an interview session on my blog today. Her book Surviving the Mental Health Jungle is available for purchase now.

What made you pen down Surviving the Mental Health Jungle?
Mental Health is always a change good or bad. To be counselor or simply work in the field is a stressful. You have to be able to work under stress or be able to problem solve. So for me thinking about the stress and balance of the field. To me a good metaphor was a jungle. My meaning is you never know what you going to get.
Will it help people who have not been diagnosed yet?
The book is actually for people looking to become a counselor. It is more about introduction to field.
Will it help people who are already in therapy?
No, my other book “A Fat Girl’s Confidence, Beating depression and building self esteem” is a book that helps with depression.
What according to you is the first step to heal your mental health?
Acknowledge that there is a issue. It is important to realize that there is something wrong or different about you.
How is mental health and personality related?
Behaviors have driven by your personality. Stress can alter your personality as well. Anything outside of your normal personality. Could be considered a mental health issue. Only if it is persistent and lasts longer 3-6 months.

One tip to new parents to raise resilient, confident and healthy adults?
Encourage them every step of the way.
What else can people expect from this book?
To be informed in a simplistic way about working in the counseling field.
Are there any new projects underway?
A documentary about mental health.

Author of A Fat Girl’s Confidence Guide, published by My Story Publishing Company, also the founder of the “Confident Fat Girls Movement” Patrice Shavone Brown is a mother of two beautiful children. She is also the big sister of two siblings. Most of all she is “me.” She is a person that has had storms and mountains to climb. She is still climbing. Patrice lost her mom to cancer June 2017. She does not paint pretty pictures about her life or surroundings. Helping people is at the heart of everything that Patrice does. She has spent the last two decades serving her community as a Mental Health Counselor. Her greatest satisfaction comes from empowering others and assisting in people’s healing through the power of words. “It’s hard, yet life is what you make it. And it is full of twists and turns,” says Patrice. Patrice has owned and operated Restoring Bodies and Minds, restoringbodiesminds.org, for the past seven years. She’s an over achiever. She likes to excel, and she has tremendous drive and determination. If at first you don’t succeed, try again, is at her core. Brown has also authored four books. Her books are based on her everyday life experiences. The titles are Secrets Of A Crazy Mental Health Counselor, The Day Momma Made Me Dance, We Blend Well Together, A Fat Girl’s Confidence Guide, A Fat Girl’s Confidence: Beating Depression and Building Self Esteem, The Finesser and The Finesser 2.Patrice holds an MA, BA, and AAS. She is also an Anger Management Specialist and Creative Writing Expert.